Super Saiyan Saviour
by Quatermass
Summary: A year after the Cell Games, an argument with his mother leads to Gohan ending up in a vast underground world beneath Mount Ebott, where the Supreme Kai sealed them. But he has seen the monsters before, in dreams of a life of a misanthropic child who lived long ago. But will Gohan be the monsters' saviour? And will the Supreme Kai allow them to emerge?
1. Foreword

**FOREWORD**

I really have to stop these plot bunnies from copulating. This is getting ridiculous. And yet, it happens. I blame my newfound obsession with _Undertale_. I've done two crossovers beforehand: a one-shot with _FEAR_ called _Dum Spiro Spero_ , and a lengthier one with _Final Fantasy X_ called _What Lies Beneath_.

I decided on doing a crossover with _Dragonball Z_ , after a brief flirtation with doing a Harry Potter fanfic. I actually thought that the pacifist themes of _Undertale_ fit in very well with Gohan, who's very much someone who doesn't like to hurt people if he can help it. Plus, the Dragonballs do have some potential in helping out certain characters of _Undertale_. And given that Gohan doesn't really get to be the hero of the _Dragonball_ story as much as he should, well, I thought he'd be ideal here.

Incidentally, I didn't know until I had written the first six chapters that a writer called Yakuman had actually written an _Undertale_ story where a four year old Gohan falls into the Underground. It's called _Gohan in Underland_ , and it's marked as a pure _Undertale_ story as opposed to a crossover. Just a warning: I had no idea this story existed until I had written those chapters. This story was originally called _Gohan in the Underground_ , but to distance itself from that story, it is now called _Super Saiyan Saviour_.

Anyway, time for the usual disclaimers. Firstly, there will be spoilers for both _Undertale_ and _Dragonball Z_. If you want to avoid spoilers for the former especially, don't read. This is also something of an AU for both, enough so that they fit into their respective universes.

Secondly, there will be heavy annotations, as is usual for my works. You have been warned.

Thirdly, this is an M-Rated work. There will be coarse language, violence, and dark themes. Again, you have been warned.

Finally, the following is a fan-written work. _Undertale_ and _Dragonball Z_ are the properties of their respective owners. Please support the official release. Otherwise, Undyne will turn you into a shish kebab…


	2. Chapter 1: Fall

**CHAPTER 1:**

 **FALL**

 _It was another dream, one where he was sitting in an underground garden with his friend, a friend and a brother both. His brother looked like a boy, but with the features of a goat, big floppy ears and an elongated snout. He was wielding a camcorder, and smiling. "Okay, Chara, are you ready? Do your creepy face."_

 _He did so. Dear Asriel, he scared so easily. He yelped briefly, before he giggled. And then, he said, peering at the camcorder, "Oh, wait! I left the lens cap on!"_

 _He pouted at his brother. And Asriel said, "Oh, you're not going to do it again?" He promptly leered at Asriel, who recoiled. "Oh, stop tricking me!"_

 _Their laughter echoed through the cavern. An ephemeral reminder of happier times…_

* * *

It wasn't the first time that Son Gohan had had a dream of Chara and Asriel. Ever since he was young, since shortly before Raditz came to Earth, he had had dreams and nightmares. He'd never really told anyone about them. He wasn't sure how they'd treat them, especially as Chara was not the nicest of people. There was something twisted and distorted in Chara, something that made the likes of the Saiyans, or Frieza, or Cell look tame by comparison. There was also something strangely real about those dreams, a veracity that was highly disturbing.

Gohan's eyes flickered open, to find that he was in a dim cavern. A circle of light hung tauntingly above him. Not that height meant anything to him: he could fly, after all. But at the moment, he wasn't feeling up to much flying.

The headache he felt did little to impede the treacherous flow of memory. He had gotten into an argument with his mother, a bad one. That was hardly surprising: since his father died a year ago and refused to come back for the time being, Gohan and Chi-Chi's relationship had become more volatile. Part of it was admittedly fuelled by the hormonal changes while Chi-Chi was pregnant with his little brother, Goten. But there had been a tension building for a long time, since his mother had gotten it into her head that Gohan should be a scholar rather than a martial artist. Even when it was revealed that Gohan had tremendous power, Chi-Chi refused to let up.

Okay, she had good reasons. She wanted Gohan to have a steady career, which a martial artist wasn't. But their relationship had begun to craze and crack for some time, ever since the aftermath of Vegeta and Nappa invading. Goku's death only accelerated this. Arguments blew up for the most trivial of reasons. And it all came to a head. Gohan couldn't take it anymore, and confronted his mother. He'd had enough of being forced into studying fields at what was frankly a university level at times. He had never been allowed to have any say in what he wanted to do, whether to become a martial artist, or an engineer or researcher working for Bulma, or a novelist, or a doctor, or anything. And Chi-Chi didn't seem to have any idea about what she actually wanted him to do, beyond cramming textbooks into his skull.

Chi-Chi had launched into one of her usual tirades. But Gohan had had enough. He demanded that his mother let him choose his own path in life. Chi-Chi had refused, saying he was too young. Gohan had promptly retorted that he had saved the world, and technically he was too young to do that. It had gone south from there, and then, the yelling had woken up Goten. Chi-Chi had scolded Gohan for waking up his little brother with his immature squabbling, and, well, that was Gohan's breaking point. He stormed out, with Chi-Chi threatening him that, if he left, then he should never come back.

And then, Gohan had looked at her, and sneered at her. " _Why would I want to? The one person who actually loved me is dead_ ," he had retorted, before flying off.

Even now, Gohan regretted his outburst. It was a stupid argument, a replay of one that had been done so many times before. And the parting words were so stupid, a burning of bridges that would make him regret it should his mother die, or he die. But he wasn't willing to head back.

More memory came back. He had flown along the mountain ranges that Mount Paozu was part of, and had come across Mount Ebott. He had heard some urban legends about Ebott. Supposedly, over the past century or so, children who climbed up Mount Ebott were rumoured never to return. Gohan didn't put any stock in such things, but had decided to head to the mountain's summit anyway. There was a cave near the top, and he wanted to spend the night somewhere away from his mother. And away from anyone like Piccolo or Bulma or Roshi, who might contact his mother.

Then, his final memory. He tripped in the dark, and, completely unprepared, hit his head on something. He had slid into the darkness, towards a hole he hadn't noticed, but which he saw before he lost consciousness. Normally, something as stupid as tripping and falling wouldn't hurt Gohan, but his emotions and lack of control over his ki caused it. Or perhaps something within him wanted him to sleep.

Gohan got up, and then looked around. He then frowned, realising that this cavern looked very familiar. It was like those dreams he had.

Shakily, he got to his feet. While he could fly back out, something about this place warranted further investigation. He had seen this in his dreams…and he had a suspicion for years that they weren't dreams at all.

He walked down a passageway, realising he could feel ki, more than the norm. And a malevolent ki, at that. He braced himself as he went through an archway, and found himself face to face…with a flower. A flower with a face. Two dot-like eyes and a smile, like a cartoon face.

"Howdy!" it said in a cheerful, chirpy voice. "I'm Flowey! Flowey the Flower!"

Gohan remained wary. As benign as this thing looked, he could feel the malevolent ki coming off it in waves. But there was something strange to the ki. As if there was a core of hollowness to it, as if it were missing something. Something vital.

 _This feels strangely familiar_ , a voice in his head whispered. It was a voice that had whispered in his head about disgusting humans, a voice that roared whenever Gohan's temper was ignited. Gohan put it down to the instincts of a Saiyan, and ignored them. The one time he didn't ignore them was during the fight against Cell, when he had achieved the state he privately called Super Saiyan 2. And that had cost his father his life.

"You're new to the Underground, aren'tcha?" Flowey asked. "Golly, you must be so confused."

"Just curious," Gohan said. "What do you mean by Underground, Mr Flowey?"

"Shucks, I ain't a Mister. Just call me Flowey," Flowey said with false modesty. "Anyway, someone oughta teach you how things work down here."

Gohan narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "And you want to teach me?"

"Now, now, no need to be hostile."

"Drop the act, Flowey," Gohan said. "I can feel your ki. I can feel the malice from you."

With that, Flowey dropped his friendly façade. His face became a twisted parody of itself, grinning malevolently. "Ooh, you're a canny one. A ki wielder, huh? Well, you oughta know, in this world, _it's kill or be killed._ " A flurry of white pellets flung themselves into the air, surrounding Gohan. Gohan felt a strange tugging on his chest, and a red heart-like light seemed to emerge from his body. "That's your soul. You may be tough as anything, but once I attack your soul directly, you're _mine_ …"

Gohan, as the pellets spiralled in towards him, used his speed to not only dodge out of the way, but to get behind Flowey. "Huh? Where the hell did you go?!" Flowey demanded.

Gohan considered his options. Using a big ki blast on the malevolent flower could bring the cave down over his head, and even if he weren't killed or injured, he would take a lot of time to dig himself out. And if he got buried under too much rubble…well, he could hold his breath for long, but he needed oxygen. Maybe a small ki blast? Just enough to knock the plant silly before Gohan got the hell out of there?

Suddenly, Gohan realised he could feel a powerful ki approaching. But there was none of the malice of Flowey. Even so, the sheer power was on a ridiculous level, even that of a Super Saiyan.

"There you are!" Flowey snarled, turning around on the spot to see Gohan.

Gohan merely flung up his hands in front of his face. "Solar Flare!" he yelled. The powerful strobe of light would have been more powerful in sunlight, but it certainly dazzled Flowey, who began rubbing at his face with his leaves. As Flowey cursed, a ball of flame (not a ki blast!) spat out of the air, and hit Flowey, sending the plant flying into the shadows with an indignant squawk.

Gohan whirled to find that the new arrival was just coming out of a shadowed passage. "What a cruel creature, torturing a poor, innocent youth…" the newcomer mused, her voice feminine and gentle.

Gohan blinked when he saw her emerge into the dim light of the cave. He had seen his fair share of odd beings, both here on Earth (Oolong, Puar, King Furry, Piccolo, Kami, just to name a few), and during their sojourn to Namek. But this was the first time he had seen what could only be described as a goat woman. She was tall, at least as tall as Kami had been, dressed in a tabard with an elaborate sigil on it, consisting of three triangles and a winged symbol. Her face was gentle, with a long muzzle, floppy ears, and a coating of white fur. Two short horns poked up from her head, while a couple of fangs poked out of her mouth in a manner that was more endearing than sinister.

No…he thought it was the first time he had seen her. But he realised that he had seen her before, in his dreams. Which was impossible. They weren't real, were they?

"Don't be afraid, my child," the goat-woman said with a reassuring smile.

"I'm not afraid. Of you, anyway," Gohan said. "Your ki is reassuring."

"Ah! You are a human who can sense ki? You are a rare being indeed," the woman said.

"Actually, I'm only half-human," Gohan admitted. "I'm Son Gohan, but just call me Gohan."

"I see. I am Toriel. I am…the caretaker of these Ruins," she said.

Toriel…The name echoed in Gohan's memory. A name he had heard in dreams. _Toriel Dreemurr. Wife of Asgore Dreemurr. Mother of Asriel Dreemurr_.

 _Mother_ , a voice whispered in Gohan's head.

"I pass through here each day to see if someone has fallen down. You're the first human…well, the first person to come down here from the surface for a very long time," Toriel said. "Come along, Gohan. I will guide you through the catacombs."

Gohan decided to trust Toriel for the time being, at least until he knew more about the situation. But what did this mean about his dreams?

As if discerning his thoughts, Toriel, as they walked through another door, asked, "Gohan, we have never met before, and yet, there was something in your face that suggested…you recognised me."

Gohan flinched. "Well, we have talking anthropomorphic animals on the surface too. You looked like someone I know," he lied.

"You're very intelligent for your age," Toriel said with a smile. "How old are you?"

"12. Well, eleven on my birth certificate, but it's a long story."

"Actually, I can hazard a guess. I know of places in the world where time can be altered. I have heard legends of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber of the Guardian of Earth."

"Huh. Well, that's how, actually."

Toriel gave him a look, before she said, "I see. Most of us down here…we haven't got a good memory of the Guardian, or the Kais. I know the Guardians, the ones elected to the throne of Kami, are mortals originally, but…"

"Hey, the current Guardian is a nice guy. He's an old friend," Gohan protested. "And what do you mean, 'we'?"

"Ah. Well, perhaps that is a tale which I will tell you after we get back home, Gohan. These Ruins are filled with traps and puzzles. You have nothing to worry about with me, as I know how to get past them. But I would think that I would prefer to wait until we are safe at home before we discuss such matters."

Gohan nodded. He realised he had stumbled onto something of an adventure here. But why had Toriel mentioned such things about the Guardian or the Kais? And why had he seen Toriel in his dreams before? He didn't know, but he was determined to find out…

 **CHAPTER 1 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, Gohan taking the place of Frisk, but with a twist. I think those of you familiar with** ** _Undertale_** **can guess why Gohan's dreams seem to match up with reality. Also, fighting in the Underground also handicaps Gohan a little, in that he has to avoid using more destructive techniques, lest he bring the cave down around him. Things will certainly get more interesting around the time of Undyne.**

 **Now, in case you're wondering, I'm not actually indulging in Chi-Chi bashing. I don't like the character, true, but I didn't want to burn bridges entirely between her and Gohan. I just needed a catalyst for Gohan to end up in the Underground, and considering what's happened during the Cell Games, well…it's understandable. Gohan's nearly a teenager, and Chi-Chi, though a loving mother, is overbearing to say the least.**

 **Incidentally, the Kami who helped imprison the monsters was not THE Kami we see for much of** ** _Dragonball_** **, but one of his predecessors. And the remark about the Kais will be explained in due time.**

 **This story, in case I didn't make it clear, takes place a year after the defeat of Cell. There's a reason for that, other than the Chi-Chi/Gohan argument. We'll be needing the Dragonballs after all…**

 **Hmm, should I make a casting list? As if this was being dubbed by Funimation (albeit with some actors from outside Funimation)? Well, let's give it a shot (tentative list only: it's harder than I thought)…**

 **FLOWEY/ASRIEL: Vic Mignogna (let's face it: he's got a pretty damn good vocal range)**

 **CHARA: Brina Palencia (based on her performance as Rei from** ** _Rebuild of Evangelion_** **, as well as being Ciel Phantomhive from** ** _Black Butler_** **)**

 **TORIEL: Tress Macneille**

 **SANS: Christopher Sabat (who else could it be? He can do comedy if he wants to)**

 **PAPYRUS: John Swasey (given how he portrayed Lord Death from** ** _Soul Eater_** **)**

 **UNDYNE: Wendy Powell (doing something like Envy from** ** _Fullmetal Alchemist_** **)**

 **ALPHYS: Stephanie Sheh**

 **METTATON: Darren Dunstan (menacing and camp, like Pegasus?)**

 **ASGORE: Fred Tatasciore**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	3. Chapter 2: Toriel's Tale

**CHAPTER 2:**

 **TORIEL'S TALE**

Gohan sighed as he sat in the bed. Toriel had all but babied him in the Ruins, not as obnoxiously as his mother had, but it got to the point where, when she was about to lead him on a safe route over a spike-infested causeway, he just picked her up and flew her over, much to her surprise. However, she did emphasise that he should avoid fighting the monsters in the Underground: most, unlike Flowey, were relatively benign. They just had reason to attack humans, something she would elaborate once they got home. Gohan decided to roll with it. He was faster than the monsters anyway.

She did go on ahead and asked him to remain where he was, but he rankled at her mothering ways. Oh, she was nice, more nice than his own mother, but he wasn't in the mood for obeying orders at the moment. Most of the monsters here were far weaker than he or Toriel were.

So, Gohan explored the Ruins, finding them so familiar, almost exactly like his dreams, just more decrepit. He came across a rather morose ghost called Napstablook that he managed to cheer up. He encountered something called a Spider Bake Sale, and purchased a couple of items with some gold coins he had found during his exploration. And then, he found his way, quite by accident, to Toriel's house.

The inside was roomy, and very familiar, just like the Ruins. Toriel encountered him just as he entered, and had welcomed him to his new home, in the process of baking him him a Butterscotch-Cinnamon Pie. It certainly smelled good, but Toriel had told him to rest for a while.

The room felt so familiar. It was strange, so very strange, about how dream was matching up to reality. And then, he remembered another dream…

* * *

 _"Mum, how did the monsters end up Underground?" Chara asked._

 _Toriel looked uncomfortable. It was a question that had been asked before, but eventually, she sat Chara down in a chair opposite, and said, "Our story begins over a thousand years ago. There was once a vile sorcerer from the stars called Babidi, the offspring of another sorcerer called Bibidi. Once, Bibidi summoned a vile creature known as Majin Buu, but because Buu was too powerful, Bibidi had to seal him away. However, Bibidi was killed by the Supreme Kai of the East, and Buu was left to slumber. However, Bibidi's offspring, Babidi, lived for a long time, until he finally tracked down Buu's egg to Earth. But Babidi was a canny sorcerer. He didn't know where Buu's egg was, and he also wanted to see if he could create an entity that could surpass Majin Buu. And so, the first of our people were born, simply known as Monsters. Entities of magic, strong, but we had a weakness in that our souls were fragile to the killing intent of others. Babidi forced us to do battle with the people of this world, looking to conquer it."_

 _"What happened?"_

 _"The then-Kami knew he was too weak to fight us, so he appealed to the Kais. When the Supreme Kai of the East learned of Babidi being here, he came to Earth immediately. Babidi, realising that the Supreme Kai would be able to kill him, and that his monsters were weaker than he thought, fled. We were freed from Babidi's control, and we lost the will to fight. The Supreme Kai recognised this, and he was unwilling to countenance genocide in such a case. But perhaps what he did was crueller, though he considered it a mercy. After all, he learned that, in what was similar to one of the powers of Majin Buu, we could absorb human souls to boost our power. In the end, he opted to imprison us in these very caverns, changing them to become almost worlds of their own, to give us a gilded cage of sorts. The Supreme Kai then used a Barrier that allowed things in, but not out. A human soul, combined with a monster's, can pass through, but it requires the souls of seven humans to break."_

 _"The Supreme Kai was cruel," Chara sneered. "He just wanted to protect the_ _ **humans**_ _." The venom and contempt that Chara used when he spoke that last word was astonishing. It was as if he was a Saiyan…_

* * *

This was Chara's room. Toriel had known Chara, assuming this wasn't delusion. But how could Gohan dream of the memories of another person? And was the Barrier truly an insurmountable obstacle? He was far stronger than any of the monsters he had seen so far. At Super Saiyan 2, he could match the power output of Perfect Cell at his peak, and Perfect Cell had charged up a Kamehameha that could wipe out the Solar System. But while Gohan had surpassed Kami, had he surpassed the Supreme Kai?

The door opened, and Toriel gently poked her head in. "Gohan?" she asked, proffering a pie. "I've finished."

"Thanks, Toriel," Gohan said, taking the pie. "Should I eat at the table?"

Toriel smiled. "Of course. I thought you'd be sleepy, that's all."

* * *

After Gohan finished the pie (and astonishing Toriel with the speed at which he ate it), Toriel asked, "Gohan, if I might ask, why are you here?" When she saw him flinch, she said, "Sorry, I shouldn't have pried. I…"

"No, it's fine. I had an argument with my mother." The confession came tumbling out of Gohan, with Toriel listening. It helped.

After a time, Toriel looked saddened, even disappointed. But it wasn't a truly judgemental disappointment. "You may have greater cause to regret your words, Gohan. The Barrier is a one-way street to all, save for those with the soul of a monster and a human combined."

"It's not fair. Especially not to you," Gohan said quietly.

Toriel looked at him, before emitting a sad chuckle. "You remind me so much of…him."

"Him?"

After a moment, Toriel said, "I'm not sure why I'm telling you this. I never told the others. Most of them, anyway. But you…you remind me so much of my own sons. One was a son of my own blood. Asriel, we called him. My…former husband, Asgore, wasn't good with naming things, and used a mixture of his name and mine. Asriel was one of the best names he ever came up with. The other was a human, the first to fall down here, centuries ago. He was adopted by us. His name was Chara."

Gohan fought, unsuccessfully, to keep the surprise off his face. Toriel noticed it. "You know those names," she said. "When we first met, you recognised me in some manner. Why?"

"As I said before, you wouldn't believe me if I told you," Gohan said.

"Gohan…I just wish to know."

It was the gently pleading tone, and the fact that Toriel was their mother, that did it. Gohan, after a moment, admitted, "I've had weird dreams from a young age. Dreams of being someone called Chara, being part of your family. I seem to see these dreams over and over again, little flashes."

"I see. Do you know anything of our history?"

"Some of it." Gohan recited what he had seen in the dream he had been thinking about before Toriel brought the pie in, and the goat-woman nodded.

"That is something I taught Chara. Chara was a loving boy, but he wasn't fond of people. It took him some time to get used to us, too. During the reign of Demon King Piccolo, he had been offered by his relatives as a sacrifice to appease Piccolo when Piccolo attacked Ebott Village. He was an orphan, you see, and the relatives who looked after him mistreated him, making him a servant. Piccolo mocked the relatives and murdered them, but Chara managed to flee. We found out through our monitoring of the surface that Piccolo was later sealed, though I don't know much about what happened next."

"It's a long story, but Piccolo is no longer a demon. He wasn't in the first place. He was an alien who divided himself into two halves: one good, the other evil. He's now mostly good, though. In fact, he taught me most of what I know about martial arts."

"I see." Toriel seemed to be pensive, before she asked, "Do your dreams tell you what happened to my children?"

"No. What happened to them?"

"Chara…suddenly fell ill. As he died, he had one wish, to see the flowers of his village one last time. Asriel somehow gained his soul, and carried Chara's body. However, Asriel had transformed, because he held Chara's soul along with his own, and the villagers immediately leapt to the assumption that Asriel had murdered Chara. They attacked him, and Asriel refused to harm them. Instead, he retreated, but not before being mortally wounded. He lasted long enough to tell us what happened, before he died, his body dissolving into dust. And what happened next…" Toriel's voice caught in her throat.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to upset you."

"I know. You're the first person I've spoken to about this for a long time, Gohan. The others just left. But I want to tell you, because I see something in you. And perhaps this is a catharsis, a confession. My ex-husband, King Asgore, in a moment of rage, declared that humans had taken too much from them. He declared war on all those who dwelt on the surface. He made a decree that any humans that drop into the Underground are to be captured or killed on sight, and their souls taken to break the Barrier. I disagreed with him vehemently on that. He made the declaration in haste and anger, and in doing so, gave our people a hope based on the murder of innocents. Six humans since Chara have fallen down into the Underground. Six have ended up in Asgore's clutches."

"That's horrible. But if you were the Queen, why are you here?"

"I had an argument, a bad one. I hated what he was doing. He didn't even have the wherewithal to take a human soul for himself, pass the Barrier, and harvest the remaining souls from there. Not that I'd agree with such a line of action. To fight in self-defence is one thing, when all other options are exhausted. But to commit murder out of misplaced revenge…I couldn't countenance it." Toriel chuckled ruefully. "I don't know who's the bigger coward. Asgore, for not retracting his declaration, or myself."

"You? But…"

"Gohan, I was their Queen. I abdicated at a time when my people needed guidance, when I could have mitigated Asgore's declaration. There are ways we could have obtained the souls without murder. But no. I couldn't stand to be anywhere near Asgore, and those who supported him. I have lived with the shame and guilt ever since."

"But you don't have to live with it forever," Gohan protested. "Okay, you did something wrong, but…you tried to protect those who came down here, right?"

"And failed."

"You tried. Toriel…there's something that might help. Did your people ever hear of the Dragonballs?"

"The Dragonballs? No, I haven't," Toriel said.

"The Kami before the current one created them. They're seven magic orbs, that when you gather them, they can grant almost any wish you want. They can even revive people from the dead, within certain limits. It's been a year since we last used them, so if I can contact those outside the Underground, they might be able to use them to remove the Barrier."

"But that means Asgore is free to lead the monsters to another war, a war in which we will be massacred."

"Then I'll go to him. Get him to call it off, in exchange for using the Dragonballs for destroying the Barrier, or else finding some way to get your people out. Most of the monsters are like you, right? Just normal people?"

"Of course. But…you intend to leave?"

"Not yet. But…"

"If you leave, they'll capture you. Take your soul. I can't allow that. You're just a child, I…"

"Toriel…last year, I fought and destroyed a creature so powerful, he would have destroyed the world, and the solar system with a single ki blast." Gohan sighed quietly, finding the familiar mental trigger, before he let the distinctive ki of a Super Saiyan burst forth with its distinctive pulsing thrum. Toriel's eyes widened almost comically. "My problem isn't surviving. It's making sure everyone else does," he said. _It's not like I've got a great track record there, either_ , he thought bitterly to himself. In the recent fight against Cell, his own cowardice had ensured the death of Android 16. His unleashed darkness had cost him his father. Fight or not, he always lost someone.

"This ki…it's immense…Gohan, please stop it. If I can sense it, then there'll be monsters across the Underground who can as well. Not all of us can sense ki, but…"

Gohan nodded, releasing his Super Saiyan state. "Sorry. I just needed you to understand."

Toriel stared at him for a moment, before she smiled sadly. "Yes. I do, now. It's something I wasn't willing to see. You're a warrior, you have been since you were very young. You poor boy. You hate fighting, but you do it anyway, to protect rather than to fight for its own sake. A year ago, we felt tremors in the Underground, massive surges in ki, on a par with our greatest warriors. One of them, a malevolent ki, seemed to be made up of multiple beings, beings we could also sense fighting it."

"Cell," Gohan spat out bitterly. "A genetically engineered creature, made up of my friends, family, and even enemies combined. It was thanks to him that…" Gohan scowled, not wanting to think about it. About how his father's death was as much his fault as it was Cell's.

"A painful story, is it? I won't press you." Toriel smiled sadly. "So you were in the midst of that…and prevailed. If you can get Asgore to call off his war, and to use these Dragonballs to destroy the Barrier…you'll have done us a great service, Gohan." She closed her eyes, and contemplated things. After a few seconds, she said, "I'll have you stay here a couple of days first, to bring you up to speed on the Underground. Even if you dream of being Chara, times have changed since then. I only know so much, given my self-imposed exile, but I have a friend who keeps me informed. He will help you."

"Why not come with me?" Gohan asked. "Surely that would help? I mean, I can sense your ki, you'd be pretty good. And you might be able to help with some of the monsters if they recognise you."

"I don't want to be recognised. I abdicated, and I'm sure many would call me a coward."

"Yeah, but Toriel…you can show you're not by coming back out. And seeing you might give them hope, let them know they're ready to be free. Besides, I don't know much about the Underground, and I trust you more than I trust any friend you claim."

"You've only known me for a short time, Gohan," Toriel pointed out.

"Yes, but I can sense your ki. It's pretty high. And these dreams…they show you to be a kind, loving person. You just made mistakes. Look, I know that while sometimes, you have to fight alone, you don't. I had to fight Cell one on one, but without the help of my friends and allies, and even my father, I wouldn't have beaten Cell. I want your help, Toriel. Please?"

Toriel chuckled sadly. "Once again, you remind me of Chara. I could almost never say no to him. And perhaps this old lady has spent too much time cooped up here. Very well. We'll spend the next couple of days preparing for our journey. And then, we'll set out to deal with this for once and for all…"

 **CHAPTER 2 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **And there you have it. I did take some liberties with Toriel's character, made her less evasive and smothering than the one in the game. But she senses, albeit subconsciously, Chara within Gohan, making her more open. Most of you would have guessed by now, but Gohan is Chara's reincarnation. Don't worry, he's not going to go homicidal. Toriel also senses Gohan's strength, and knows that, if he wanted to fight her, she can't stop him.**

 **Incidentally, that bit of dialogue where Toriel confesses her own self-loathing, I did that to address, early, some of the problems people have with Toriel. The valid points, anyway. I would imagine that, beneath the surface, the canon Toriel understand what she did when she left Asgore, and she hates herself for it. I wanted to get that out of the way rather than have someone like Undyne point it out to her like she does in** ** _Our Own Route_** **by Ben10extreme. I don't believe, though, that Toriel would condone murder in that way, and that her pointing out the flaws in Asgore's plan at the end of the Pacifist Run were her tearing strips off her ex.**

 **Incidentally, while I am painting the Supreme Kai in a somewhat unflattering light, I am not actually engaging in bashing. The Supreme Kai did what he thought was best at the time, and his judgement was slightly clouded by the fact that the monsters were Babidi's creations. I was influenced slightly by the manipulative but well-meaning Supreme Kai in** ** _What should have been_** **by TriggerhappySOB. That story, by the way, was a small but significant influence on this one.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	4. Chapter 3: News from Above, Between

**CHAPTER 3:**

 **NEWS FROM ABOVE, BETWEEN, BELOW**

That night (insomuch as the Underground had a night, anyway), as Gohan lay in bed, he looked up at the ceiling. Gathering the Dragonballs to free the monsters from the Underground may seem easy, true, but the thing was, it took a few days minimum, if not longer. And that was if you had the Dragon Radar and the ability to fly without needing a plane or hoverjet.

And how would the surface react to the monsters? It had been centuries since Demon King Piccolo, or at least his first reign, and Toriel had confirmed that Chara fell centuries ago. The fact that they had killed six children already, and may be making preparations for an all-out war against humanity made Gohan wonder whether freeing them might cause more unnecessary conflict.

But there was a strong sense of justice in Son Gohan, and leaving these monsters under here seemed like an injustice. Toriel had strongly indicated that the monsters were mostly like people, and indeed, had a somewhat more pacifistic mindset than humanity, most of the time. It didn't mean that they wouldn't fight to defend themselves, it just meant that they generally tended not to be the aggressors, Asgore's declaration of war notwithstanding.

As he stared at the ceiling, he could hear a voice. A familiar voice, echoing and faint, but there. _Gohan! Can you hear me?_

Gohan blinked. He recognised the deep, rasping tone of Piccolo. It wasn't the first time Piccolo had contacted him telepathically. He remembered that time involving Doctor Gero attacking Piccolo covertly, and calling out to him telepathically. He closed his eyes. _Piccolo?_ he asked.

 _Gohan! So you're alive. Are you okay? Are you hurt? Chi-Chi contacted Bulma, thinking you had come to Capsule Corp. I was there at the time. Bulma wanted to study Namekian biology._

 _Piccolo, I'm fine. I'm alive and well._

 _Well, where are you?_

 _Mount Ebott. Well, underneath it. Piccolo, has Bulma got the Dragon Radar?_

 _Of course. But why? Why do you need the Dragonballs?_

 _It's a long story, Piccolo_ …

* * *

In Capsule Corp, Piccolo frowned as Gohan explained about the Underground. After his former student finished, Piccolo said, _Do you think using Shenron to release the monsters is a good idea? You said it yourself, they were sealed by the Supreme Kai. Even if Shenron can release them, there's the fact that they declared war on humanity._

 _Toriel thinks that if I can persuade Asgore otherwise, it should be fine. Piccolo, did Kami know anything about this?_

 _No. He wasn't involved, and his predecessor knew nothing, or at least said nothing. It's possible Mr Popo knows, but he could be bound to silence and inaction, even if he objected to it. I do have memories of that Chara boy, from my time as Demon King Piccolo. I was actually impressed by his hatred. I even asked for him to join my side. He flipped me off and fled. At the time, I had actually laughed at the boy's spirit, and thought he would be entertaining. Perhaps he would cause chaos in the world, I thought. Not long afterwards, Mutaito sealed me with the_ Mafuba. _We'll gather the Dragonballs, Gohan. But we'll hold off on summoning Shenron until after we're sure you've managed to call off Asgore._

 _Okay. But the monsters here are strong. Toriel's at least as strong as a Super Saiyan, and it's possible she's restraining some of her ki. I just hope it doesn't come to a fight._

 _Very well. But Gohan, if some of the monsters can sense ki, they may be able to sense you. Stay alive. I don't want my best student to die from overconfidence. You may be more powerful than them, but a strong enough attack with the element of surprise can still kill you. And there's the cave-in issue, of course._

 _Don't worry, Piccolo. I won't be reckless. I learnt my lesson with Cell_. After a moment, Gohan said, cheekily, _Anyway, aren't I your_ _ **only**_ _student?_

Piccolo smirked, though he got the feeling that Gohan was hiding something from him. He just couldn't understand what. _Smartass kid. Remember what I told you_ …

* * *

Sans was a bit apprehensive. He and Papyrus had felt that massive surge of ki earlier, and to be honest, if they could feel it, he would bet enough money to cover his tab at Grillby's that it could be felt all the way at New Home. Asgore would've felt it, and Undyne, based at Waterfall, would definitely have felt it. And with Undyne involved, the term 'shark in the water' wasn't so much a metaphor as it was reality. Well, minus the water, but Undyne's piscine features, sharp teeth and sharper attitude were renowned throughout the Underground. Papyrus had claimed she had called him, and was coming here even as he spoke.

That ki…there weren't many monsters in the Underground powerful enough to counteract that. Sans could be, if he was pressed to go all-out, Undyne and Asgore might, and there was that robot of Alphys' to consider. Sans remembered a year ago, when the Underground shook for hours, and they felt massive surges of ki, albeit in the distance. About a week prior, there had been a bizarre announcement by some green insectoid creature calling himself Cell, which Alphys had picked up. During the time the Underground was shaking, Alphys was monitoring the resulting tournament, the Cell Games. The so-called champion, Mark Hercule (better known by his stage name of Mr Satan), was a washout, but a golden-haired man fared better, as did a boy with similar hair. Hercule and the announcer kept on going on about tricks and the like, but the monsters knew that weaponised ki was being used on a potentially apocalyptic scale.

Thankfully, the world didn't end. They didn't see the end result, but the tremors subsided. And the monsters knew that whatever was out there could easily be a match for most of them. That fact filled them with dread. Many plead with King Asgore to change his mind about waging war on humanity. Breaking the Barrier was never off the cards, true, but going to war again?

A year had passed, and Asgore hadn't given any definite answer. Life in the Underground went on pretty much as it did, but with a faint patina of fear. _What if one of those walking weapons comes into the Underground?_ That was the unspoken fear of many. And given the ki they had felt only a few hours ago, that fear may yet be realised.

He went to the exit of the Ruins, and knocked on the door, as was his wont to do. For some time, he had been exchanging jokes and puns with a mysterious voice. He actually had an intuition that the owner of the voice could very well be the missing Toriel, Queen of the Underground. And given how the ki signature seemed to come from the Ruins…he was worried for her.

"Who's there?" came her voice. Sans sagged. She was all right. Unless the mysterious large ki signature had the ability to mimic voices well.

"Tibia?"

"Tibia who?"

"Tibia not to be, that is the question," Sans said. They chuckled over the bad pun. Highly underrated, puns as a means of bonding. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

"You sure? I felt that ki. I think everyone in the Underground who could feel ki felt it." When the woman didn't say anything, Sans sighed. "It's a human, isn't it? A ki wielder, too. Am I right?"

After a moment, his friend said, "Yes. He's not hostile. He's fought in battles, yes, but his intentions seem peaceful."

"I don't think that's going to matter, much. The whole Underground's going to be in a panic. It's like a year ago. And Undyne's on her way."

"Oh dear," his friend said after a brief pause.

"I know. So this human had better skedaddle quick."

"Hang on. Have you ever heard of the Dragonballs?"

"Can't say I have," Sans said.

"Gohan…that's the human's name, he said that there are seven mystical orbs that, when gathered, summons up a dragon called Shenron. Shenron can grant almost any wish, and Gohan thinks that if he can get out, he will use the Dragonballs to break the Barrier. But he wants Asgore to call off the war against humanity."

"Well, to tell the truth, I think he's getting there, ever since we felt that massive ki a year ago. Alphys had a feed to a broadcast showing the source, something called the Cell Games. Those beings, well, they're pretty much a match for anything we can muster. Some monsters are already calling for the war to be halted. Asgore hasn't made any official declaration, but, well…"

"I see."

"You sure Gohan's telling the truth about these Dragonball things?"

"I believe so. And…there's something else that has me trusting him. Something personal."

"I see." Sans sighed. "May I come through?"

After a moment, the voice said, "Very well. You know, it's odd, we don't know each other's names yet."

"Well, I'm Sans. Ice to meet you," he said, grinning as the door opened to reveal the tall, tabard-clad figure of…yep, definitely her.

"It's snow lie, it's good to meet you too, Sans," she said. "I am Toriel."

"Welp, let's get inside. We'll discuss this later."

* * *

Toriel was, in a way, relieved to finally meet her partner in puns. She did recognise him vaguely as being once attached to the Royal Scientist, the one before Alphys. That she couldn't remember said predecessor was concerning, to say the least. She only had vague feelings about them, feelings of unease, of something dark, yet darker.

Sans, however, was a delight. He enjoyed the same jokes, he was easygoing, and for a squat skeleton in a blue hoodie, he was quite charming. And she knew that the jokes, like her own, were part of a mask to help ease pain. They hadn't been before for Toriel, when Asriel and Chara were still alive, but now…

"You seem better informed of what goes on in the Underground than I do, Sans. Has there been much news from Asgore, aside from what I asked about?" Toriel asked as they made their way through the basement of her home.

"Nothin' much. The most exciting thing happening lately has been the rise of a big star. Some robot creation of Alphys called Mettaton. He's a camp, narcissistic nutjob, but my brother loves him. So does most of the Underground," Sans said. "Then again, my brother's camp and narcissistic, but he's cool, so I can't talk."

"It's strange to hear you call your own brother narcissistic."

"Oh, he just calls himself the Great Papyrus all the time. He means well. He may be a human-hunting fanatic, but the truth is, he finds it hard to hurt anyone. He hasn't got a mean bone in his body, and that's no joke. Undyne recognises that. Probably why she hasn't got him in the Royal Guard. That, and he bugs her about it. Undyne's the one to worry about, of course. She may very well be the strongest monster in the Underground, next to Asgore. That I know of, anyway," Sans said, with a meaningful glance at Toriel.

"You know who I am, then?"

"I've suspected for a while. I just didn't say anything. To me, you were always a fellow aficionado of puns who wanted me to keep an eye on any humans who passed through. Anything else was just trappings. It's a shame we didn't meet sooner, or I would have done more to help the six kids who came through before, stop them from falling into your ex's hands." After a moment, Sans said quietly, "He misses you, you know."

"I know. I miss the man he was."

"The man he still is."

"Asgore and I said words that cannot be taken back, Sans. We both have our regrets, and must live with them. But I still have to see him. If the Dragonballs can help us…then he needs to call off this war."

"D'you reckon the Supreme Kai will allow this?" Sans asked.

"I don't know. But enough time may have passed for him to allow us back on the surface."

"It'd be pretty cruel if the Dragonballs could free us, but the Supreme Kai just bungs us back underground," Sans said.

"True. We should hope that Gohan has some means of contacting his friends. He does apparently know the current Kami, as well as the current incarnation of Piccolo. Apparently he has changed since Chara's…" Toriel's voice caught in her throat.

"Sorry. I remember how distraught you two were at your kids dying," Sans said quietly.

"It's not your fault, Sans. I should have tried harder to save Chara. If I had denied Chara his dying wish, then perhaps Asriel would still be alive. But I could not. And for that, Asriel followed Chara into death." Toriel closed her eyes, sighing quietly, before she said, "We'll talk to Gohan tomorrow. He may need your help to get through the Underground, even if it's only directions."

"Sure. I won't give him the _bare bones_ of help," Sans said with his usual grin, causing Toriel to giggle. She needed that. But this was still solemn business to be undertaken. And if it worked out, it could mean freedom for so many…

 **CHAPTER 3 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **At last, the debut of Sans! The next chapter will have more about the Supreme Kai, and will feature the entrance of Undyne.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	5. Chapter 4: Talk of Injustice, Spear of

**CHAPTER 4:**

 **TALK OF INJUSTICE, SPEAR OF JUSTICE**

With Bulma beginning to gather the others to start collecting the Dragonballs, Piccolo had decided to do some investigating of his own. Which meant speaking to King Kai. Having trained with him, Piccolo was also fairly sure that he could call him telepathically. Having gone into one of his favourite wastelands, Piccolo closed his eyes and called out. _King Kai, can you hear me?_

After a moment, the nasal, rasping voice of King Kai spoke. _Hey, Piccolo. Been a long time. Surprised you've even contacted me this way. What's up? You want to talk to Goku?_

 _No. As much as I miss his camaraderie, I have someone else in mind for you to contact. A crisis of sorts has eventuated on Earth, a small one at the moment, but it could escalate. Are you able to contact the Supreme Kai?_

After a pause, King Kai asked, _D'you mean the Supreme Kai of the East, or the Supreme Kai of Time, Chronoa?_

 _I mean the Supreme Kai of the East, I think._

 _Hang on a minute. I'll contact him_.

There was a long pause, before Piccolo heard a quiet voice behind him. "I believe you wished to speak with me."

Piccolo didn't jump, nor did he whip around in a startled state, as much as he wanted to. Instead, he turned around with as much dignity as he could muster, to find a pair of figures standing behind him.

The taller one was burly, with ruddy crimson skin and a stern demeanour, with shoulder-length hair. The shorter, but no less impressive one, had lavender coloured skin, an androgynous face, and white hair in a Mohawk. He appeared to be the younger, and was considerably shorter than Piccolo, let alone many humans. But there was an unmistakeable air of power and serenity around him. Both had pointed ears from which distinctive earrings with spherical adornments dangled.

Piccolo bowed. Briefly, but to show some respect. "You are the Supreme Kai of the East?" He asked this of the lavender-skinned man. He guessed this was the Supreme Kai because of the authoritative air, as well as the air of deference the taller man seemed to show to the shorter one. He certainly wasn't expecting to speak to the Supreme Kai in person.

"Indeed. This is my retainer, Kibito. You are Piccolo, or rather, the fused form of Piccolo and the former Kami, once one being. I know of the exploits of many of the warriors here, including the late Son Goku. As you seem to have gone through your life without troubling me before, the situation must be dire, or at least important."

"I apologise, but my student, the son of Goku, Son Gohan, is in a situation that I believe you to have caused, albeit indirectly. Namely, the monsters of Mount Ebott."

The Supreme Kai's eyes narrowed slightly, before he said, "Please explain, Piccolo."

Piccolo did so, and by the end of his explanation, the Supreme Kai sighed. "A sin from my past has come back to haunt me. From what I understand about the Dragonballs, they are certainly capable of removing the Barrier. So am I. However, if the King has declared war on humanity, then it falls onto your student to persuade him otherwise. The Dragonballs could be used to extract Son Gohan from the Underground, otherwise. I risk much by even considering removing the Barrier, for Babidi still lives. The monsters were his creations. Normally, he needs a certain amount of evil within the hearts of those he suborns in order to control them, but the monsters, while benign, could potentially fall under their spell, as they are Babidi's creations. And I fear that one day, he may yet return to Earth to attempt a revival of Majin Buu. I know he has been making a concerted effort lately to recruit more warriors to his cause, and there is one truly disturbing rumour, one that I cannot countenance."

"What is that?"

"That he is targeting the Demon King Dabura, or his sister Towa."

Piccolo paled. While he had, in his time as Demon King Piccolo, pretended to the title, there were true Demon Kings and Queens, and he had heard of both Dabura and Towa. "Can Babidi do that? Bring them to his cause?"

"Babidi's power is to exploit the evil within the beings he controls, but Dabura and Towa should be beyond his reach. It is the possibility that he may control either the monsters, or Majin Buu, that worries me. Especially the latter. Bibidi didn't create Buu. Buu was a primordial evil force from the beginning of time. Bibidi merely attempted to harness the beast in order to overthrow the Kais." The Supreme Kai looked to the side, his eyes filled with sorrow. "Most of them fell to Buu. Ironically, Buu is weaker now than he was originally…and even then, he is still far stronger than I."

"Do you think Babidi is intending to look for Buu on Earth before long?" The Supreme Kai reluctantly nodded. "Then maybe it's all the more reason to free the monsters. If you can do that, we can use the Dragonballs to remove any means Babidi has of controlling them. Then we'd potentially have more allies to stop Babidi if and when he does come here."

"Perhaps," the Supreme Kai mused. Eventually, he said, "For the time being, Kibito and I will stay on Earth, until we have a bead on the situation. Should Son Gohan succeed in brokering peace, then I will remove the Barrier myself, leaving you to use the Dragonballs to remove any possibility of Babidi's control over them."

"Is this wise, sir?" Kibito asked in a gruff voice.

"I do not know. But this decision has weighed heavily on my conscience for a long time, Kibito. You know this," the Supreme Kai said. "And Piccolo's logic is sound. If we can remove the means Babidi uses to control the monsters, then we have potential allies against Babidi. And, if need be, against Majin Buu. While Lord Beerus and Whis may be capable of matching and even defeating Buu, Beerus is capricious as you well know. In any case, Beerus sleeps at this time, and Whis is bound to stay near Beerus." He looked over at Piccolo again. "For the time being, we will go to the Lookout of Kami until such time I am needed. It has been a long time since I have been there…"

* * *

They were sitting on the edge of Kami's Lookout, their feet dangling over the edge. Gohan didn't realise he had company until a voice next to him said, "The view's pretty good, as long as you aren't afraid of heights. I guess you can't be if you can fly. Still, how like a so-called god to be high above his subjects, not really caring about what goes on below."

Gohan knew that voice. It was the voice in his head, the voice in his dreams. The voice of Chara. He looked over at Chara, wondering what he'd see.

Chara was, in most regards, disappointingly normal. He was a boy about Gohan's age, with a mop of light brown hair, framing androgynous features. He was wearing the same green and yellow-striped jumper Asriel had been wearing, along with the black trousers. The only thing that wasn't really normal was his crimson eyes, and the old, weary look behind them.

Chara looked over at Gohan. "So…you're me. Or rather, I'm part of you." He scoffed gently, before returning to looking down at the world below. "At least you're only half-human. Then again, knowing about the Saiyans and other beings like Frieza or Cell puts my own misanthropy into perspective."

"You're Chara," Gohan said, perhaps a little stupidly.

"Of course. What's left of me, anyway. Most of me got purged in Otherworld while I was being prepared for reincarnation. But enough of my memories and personality survived deep within you. I can do little more than be a ghost, watching through your eyes, whispering commentary into your mind." Chara sighed. "The one time you listened to me in earnest…your dad got killed. Cell deserved to suffer, but in retrospect, your dad was right. Then again, what do they say? Only the good die young." He then emitted a bitter chuckle. "Though I don't think it applies to me."

"What do you mean?"

Chara scoffed. "I don't think you ought to know. It'd cause Mum more pain if you blab. I…caused her too much already, her and Dad, and Asriel. I just wanted them to be free." For a moment, tears seemed to glisten in his crimson eyes, before he looked over at Gohan. "My parents died when I was young. I was sent to my relatives, who treated me like…an animal. Chi-Chi may treat you strictly, but she does love you. But my relatives…they called me a demon, a curse that took the lives of my parents. They poisoned the rest of the village we lived in against me. Because of that, I did things against them. Killed their pets and their livestock, ruined their flowers, even burned down a home. When Demon King Piccolo came to attack, I actually welcomed his coming, because I knew that even if I did die, my tormentors would die with me. Those cowards shoved me towards him as a willing sacrifice. But then, he laughed. He said he saw the darkness within my heart, that I embodied the worst of humanity, and was willing to give me a chance to rule the world at his side, make it our plaything. I have to admit, I was tempted…but I didn't trust him. The moment I could, I fled for Mount Ebott, flipping Piccolo off. And to my astonishment, he laughed, as if it was all a big joke. I have to admit, the screams of those villagers as they died…I enjoyed hearing them."

"That's horrible," Gohan said.

"You didn't go through what I did, Gohan. Even what feelings you sometimes feel towards humans is just an infinitesimal amount of the hatred I felt. It's all I have left. The rest got purged in Otherworld. And your life…it's shown me that there are some good people, people who deserve life, and not just the monsters. I never thought I'd get reincarnated as a superhero."

"I'm no hero. I lost him. I lost my father. He died because of me."

"Yes, and no. While Goku was right that Cell shouldn't have been allowed to get desperate, I don't think anyone could have predicted what happened. Should have been better to blast him into bits, in the end. But it's done now. And if you want to be a hero, this is what I want you to do, for my sake: Free them. And if that damned Supreme Kai tries to interfere, kick his arse. You're strong, strong enough for even higher level Kais to fear you. Your Dad told you to be the protector of this world. That includes the monsters. Gohan, please… _set them free_ …"

* * *

Undyne's mood could be called ambivalent, if she actually knew the word. While by no means stupid, her vocabulary was far from expansive. She left fancy words to Alphys.

She hated the cold of Snowdin, though not as much as the desiccating heat of Hotland. And she had mixed feelings of fear and anticipation as she trudged through the snow. Fear, because that ki was the strongest she had felt for a long time. And anticipation, anticipation that not only was she in for a good fight, but she would get the last soul needed to break the Barrier, and thus release the monsters. She could understand Asgore's increasing reluctance in waging war on the humans, though. As much as she enjoyed fighting against tough and skilled opponents, going through with the war might very well see her people dead.

She also felt a sort of exasperated annoyance at Papyrus. The tall, lanky skeleton meant well, and was a nice guy, with an enthusiasm she admired, but he was shrill and annoying at times. As he was now. Which was why she had tuned him out somewhat. "…CAPTURE THIS HUMAN, AND WE WILL ALL GO FREE! NYEH HEH HEH!"

Undyne sighed. "It's not as simple as that, Papyrus. If that ki was from the human, then you have no chance. If and when it comes down to fighting, leave it to me." Her mobile trilled shrilly, and Undyne sighed. She hated using it in her full armour: her gauntlets made things rather fiddly, and she needed to remove her helmet to use it properly. However, it had the welcome number of Alphys, whom she had woken and asked to check her network of cameras, in case she could spot anything, as well as a network of artificial ki sensors. "Yeah, Alphy?"

" _Undyne? I've b-b-been checking recordings in the Snowdin area. I haven't found the source of the ki signature, and what sensors that haven't b-b-blown out indicate th-th-that the source is in the Ruins. I c-c-contacted Muffet, and asked her if her spiders in the Ruins had s-s-seen anything. They have. There is a h-h-human. Dark haired and dark-eyed._ "

"Got it. Anything else, Alphy?" Undyne asked the reptilian Royal Scientist.

" _Yes. I checked my c-c-camera at the exit to the Ruins. Remember how we saw S-S-Sans talking to someone through the door? They emerged. It was Q-Q-Queen Toriel, Undyne!_ "

Toriel. As with this situation, Undyne felt ambivalent about the former queen. She was angry about Toriel abandoning Asgore and the throne. But Asgore helped her understand why. The deaths of Asriel and Chara weighed heavily on them both, and in their mourning, they did things they regret. Well, Undyne hoped Toriel regretted leaving Asgore and abdicating the throne. Because if she didn't…well, Undyne was looking forward to testing the Queen's strength.

It seemed that Sans had become friends with Toriel. Hardly surprising. Undyne knew of his propensity for bad puns from Papyrus, and she knew from Asgore that Toriel had also enjoyed bad puns. But were they collaborating, conspiring to keep the human from them? That was, of course, assuming they knew the human's whereabouts. Asgore knew that Toriel didn't want to harm the humans.

"You saw anything else, Alphy?" Undyne asked. "Did the human emerge?"

" _N-N-No. I did catch some of the c-c-conversation, though. Not much, but they said something about D-D-Dragonballs._ "

Undyne frowned. "Do dragons have balls(1)?"

" _No, nothing like that!_ " Alphys yelped. Undyne almost laughed out loud at the tone of embarrassment in the nerdy lizard's voice. " _They're like a genie's lamp, with w-w-wishes, that they have on the surface. I didn't hear the whole conversation, though._ "

"Huh. Maybe we should ask Sans or Toriel about that once we're done with the human. Thanks, Alphy." With that, Undyne hung up, and sighed.

"WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT MY LAZY BROTHER?" Papyrus demanded.

"He's friends with the former Queen. What's more, they probably know something about the human. I might need you with me after all, if only to help talk down that brother of yours." _And if it comes down to a fight_ , Undyne thought, _I hope you can get the hell out of the way. I don't want your death on my conscience_ …

 **CHAPTER 4 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, Undyne and Papyrus are on their way. Oh dear. I have to admit, I hate writing Papyrus. While he's likeable in some regards, I actually find him shrill and annoying. I'm sure many fans of Papyrus will lynch me for that, to which I say, bite me.**

 **Now, as you will have noticed, I made the Supreme Kai not an antagonist. I did say that in a previous chapter. And we've finally revealed Chara being Gohan's reincarnation, in the story proper, anyway. I didn't want Gohan to learn of Chara deliberately poisoning himself until later.**

 **Next chapter will be Gohan versus Undyne.**

 **1\. It's one of the more frequent jokes in the earlier chapters of** ** _Dragonball_** **, so this was my little nod to it.**


	6. Chapter 5: NGAAAAH!

**CHAPTER 5:**

 **NGAAAAH!**

Gohan, still disturbed by the dream he had with Chara, walked out into the living room of Toriel's house, to find she was talking with someone. "…So I said to her, you can tune a piano, but you can't tuna fish," a deep, lazy drawl of a man's voice said. As Toriel chuckled, the man said, "Yeah, but Undyne would have gutted me, except, well, you know, I don't have any guts."

Gohan soon could see why when he entered the living room proper, finding someone seated opposite Toriel. Said someone was a squat, stocky skeleton dressed in a blue hoody, dark trousers, and…were those pink slippers? The skeleton looked at Gohan with a lazy grin, his eyes little more than twin pinpricks of light within dark eye sockets. Gohan had the feeling of a vast amount of ki, suppressed.

"Ah, Gohan," Toriel said. "This is the friend I mentioned. Son Gohan, this is Sans. Sans, this is Son Gohan."

The skeleton got off the chair, slouching over to Gohan with his hands in his pockets, before taking one out and proffering it to Gohan. "Doncha know how to greet a new pal?" Sans said. "Shake my hand."

Gohan was admittedly a little wary, as he saw what was in the skeleton's hand. "A whoopee cushion in the hand?" Gohan asked. "Really?"

"Hey, never underestimate the classics, kid," Sans said with a grin. Gohan took his hand, but avoided squeezing the whoopee cushion. "Aw. You're no fun."

"You'd probably get along with King Kai," Gohan said. "My dad told me he loved bad puns and jokes."

"Who knows? Not many of us in the Underground have a good opinion of the Kais," Sans said with a shrug. "Me, well, I'm too lazy to have an opinion."

"Don't you mean bone idle?" Gohan said. He wasn't one for bad puns, but that one, he couldn't resist.

Sans and Toriel both laughed. "Yeah. My brother berates me for my laziness and puns. But he smiles anyway, even if he hates smiling from my puns. So he claims," Sans said. Suddenly, the two of them stopped laughing, and Gohan knew why. A massive ki had made itself known. There were two large ki signatures, though one of them was truly massive. Gohan was almost certain that this one was on a par with Imperfect Cell at least, while the other, while large compared to humans, was relatively small. And he could definitely feel the belligerence in the larger ki. Not actually evil or malevolent, but…

"Undyne…and my brother," Sans said quietly. "They're coming this way. Gohan…run."

"No," Gohan said. He remembered some of the Ruins had open areas. "Toriel, can you get the monsters out of one of the more open spaces of the Ruins?"

Toriel looked horrified. "You can't be thinking of fighting Undyne!"

"Can't you feel her ki, Toriel?" Sans asked. "She ain't in a talking mood. Gotta let her vent some steam first. I've got a better idea, though. Snowdin's more open. I'll take you there, and you open up your ki to lure her back there."

"How can you get me past them?" Gohan demanded.

"I know a shortcut," Sans said mysteriously, before he got up, grabbed Gohan's hand…

* * *

And suddenly, with a strange strobe of darkness, they were in a snowy area, a forest nearby, and what had to be the exit of the Ruins not far from them. Gohan blinked. "What was that? Instant Transmission?"

"Maybe. I dunno. I just have this…knack. Takes a lot out of me, especially taking passengers," Sans said. "Open up your ki, kid. Get them back down there. Undyne probably won't hurt Toriel, but the sooner we get her away from there, the better."

Gohan nodded, before he ramped up his ki. Not enough to go Super Saiyan, but enough to be a beacon to anything that could sense ki. Sans nodded. "I'll go and make sure Toriel's fine. I gotta ask, though, if my brother does come out here…"

"I'm not killing anyone unless I have to," Gohan said.

"Okay. I'll hold you to that." With a strobe of darkness, Sans was gone. Shortly thereafter, the doors to the Ruins opened, and a bizarre pair of figures ran through.

The first was a rather menacing figure in dark armour. He had to admit, the armour looked sinister, the helmet cast in a grotesque, intimidating mouth. This had to be Undyne, as the other figure had to be Papyrus, given that he was a tall, lanky skeleton in strange armour and a red scarf.

"NYEH HEH HEH!" Papyrus laughed. "SURRENDER, HUMAN!"

"Half-human, actually. How many people did you murder?" Gohan asked, glaring at Undyne.

Undyne scoffed, waving Papyrus to the side. He reluctantly stepped away. "Don't you dare lecture me, punk," Undyne retorted coldly, her voice given a sinister reverberation by her helmet. "The humans killed many of us before the Supreme Kai intervened. How many of us did you murder?"

"I never murdered anyone personally. But something tells me you're not here to listen." Gohan got into a fighting stance. Gohan needed to keep his power under strict control for this fight. He didn't want to kill Undyne or Papyrus, or bring the roof down. "At least not unless I knock some sense into you."

"Ha! I like your spunk, if nothing else. But you're only of use to us dead. So do all of our people a favour, and die."

Gohan sensed the spear forming from magic behind him, and leapt away as it lanced down. "So, nothing I say will stop you?"

"No. Got any last words, brat?"

Gohan flung his hands across his face. "Yeah. SOLAR FLARE!"

The strobe of light seared their retinas (or whatever equivalent Papyrus had), and the lanky skeleton screamed as he rubbed his eyesockets, "IT'S LIKE WALKING IN ON SANS NAKED IN THE SHOWER(1)!"

"Thank you, Papyrus, for that mental image! I needed that like I needed a…" Undyne was interrupted when Gohan sent her flying with a kick, sending her into a tree. She shook her head, and then tore off her now-dented helmet with a snarl, revealing her face. Blue, scaly skin, a mouth filled with shark-like teeth, long red hair, and a single golden eye with a slit pupil, the other covered by an eyepatch.

"A hole in the head?" Gohan completed.

"Well, if you want one so badly, here's one for you! NGAAAHHH!" Undyne snarled, forming more spears with her magic and hurling them at Gohan, who dodged easily, as well as catching some and using them to destroy other spears.

After a moment, Undyne, who had been staring in shock at Gohan's ability, actually began to laugh. "What's so funny?" Gohan demanded.

"Oh, you're the best challenge I've had in ages, brat," Undyne said with a vicious grin. "I haven't had a workout like this for a long time."

Gohan glared at her. "That's because you're dealing with someone who can actually fight back."

Undyne sneered. "Can't fight back?" She jabbed a finger at her eyepatch. "One of them took my eye. Others killed some of the monsters around here, monsters with family and friends, not that they gave a crap. They weren't harmless, you sanctimonious little punk. And I'm not going to let the hopes and dreams of our people get scuttled by the likes of you." Then, with a burst of speed, she was on him, and swiped a spear at him.

Gohan felt a wave of energy emanate from the spear, and felt something change within him. He couldn't move. Or rather, he could move on the spot, but it was like his body was fixed to the same spot. "Like that, punk?" Undyne grinned. "We monsters have various abilities that bypass the body, and attack the soul itself. Papyrus there can make you feel gravity far more than you normally would, and I can anchor you to the spot so you can't get away. Now, normally, I'd give you a spear to defend yourself with, make things fair, but your little display earlier showed me you don't need that."

And with that, she was on him, dashing around him at blinding speed, jabbing at him on all sides with her spear. He blocked and ducked around most of them (as much as he could, anchored to the same spot), until he grabbed one spear thrust, and sent Undyne flying. She grinned, before disappearing in the flicker of an afterimage. Gohan blocked another spear thrust just in time, before Undyne leapt back, peering at him curiously. "You look familiar somehow, punk. If you got blonde hair and green eyes, you'd be a dead ringer for that kid who fought Cell. Alphy showed me some footage before their cameras went bust."

Gohan narrowed his eyes, before a smirk came over his features. With a thought, he triggered the Super Saiyan transformation. The fish-woman gaped, as did Papyrus. "UMM, UNDYNE, IS IT NORMAL FOR HUMANS TO GLOW GOLD AND CHANGE THEIR HAIR LIKE THAT?"

"Given all the anime Alphys has me watch, I thought it was." Undyne tilted her head. But as she did so, Gohan felt his soul change back to normal. He could move again. Something about the Super Saiyan transformation, he guessed. As he took a step forward, Undyne blinked, before swiping at him with that same energy. He briefly halted, but was able to continue moving. "…Okay, wasn't expecting that." But then, after a moment, she grinned. "Oh, this is gonna be fun."

"Fun…you call murdering people fun?" Gohan asked, his eyes narrowing. "You're just like Frieza, or Cell."

"Cell? You mean that freaky bug thing you fought?" Undyne glared. "I guess you're hard of hearing kid. Without those human souls, we can never get back to the surface. We don't deserve this. Get this through your skull: you're not the hero of this story. You're the villain."

Gohan snarled, "I am Son Gohan, the son of Son Goku. I don't know whether I am the hero, but I'm not a villain, and I REFUSE TO DIE QUIETLY, OR FOR YOUR OWN ENTERTAINMENT!" He swung his palms back, focusing his ki. Despite his anger, he needed to pull his punches. He needed to knock Undyne out, not kill her. And he needed to minimise the risk of a cave-in.

"THEN GIMME YOUR BEST SHOT, SON GOHAN!" Undyne yelled with a vicious grin, gauntleted hands outstretched.

"KAMEHAMEHA!" Gohan yelled, before shooting the ki blast at Undyne. However, she managed to catch the ki blast, blocking it.

"N-N-Not bad, punk!" Undyne said, straining to keep the ki blast in place, before she managed to deflect the ki blast up into the ceiling. "But not good enough!"

Gohan looked upwards as the Kamehameha hit the ceiling and exploded. As he had feared, a good chunk of the cave's ceiling fell down. Undyne looked up as well, and her eye widened. Gohan needed to remind himself that, for all of her viciousness against humans, Undyne wasn't as bad as some of the people he knew, even amongst their allies. Vegeta had committed genocide against many worlds, while Piccolo, in his prior incarnation as Demon King Piccolo, had murdered hundreds if not thousands. Tien and Chiatozu were protégés of an infamous assassin, and Yamcha was a bandit willing to murder to get his own way before he met Goku and Bulma. Androids 17 and 18 murdered countless people in the alternate timeline Future Trunks came from.

On instinct, he dashed forward at speed, and pushed Undyne out of the way, sending her flying into the wall of the Ruins. He noticed the door to the Ruins opening, Toriel and Sans appearing. Then, the rain of rocks fell right onto Gohan. The last thing he heard before everything went dark was Toriel screaming his name…

* * *

"GOHAN!" Toriel screamed. She and Sans had hurried down. Sans had suggested not using one of his 'shortcuts', in case they ended up in the middle of the fight between Gohan and Undyne. But as they arrived, they realised they were too late. Gohan was buried under a small hill of rubble from the cave's ceiling, Papyrus staring in shock, while Undyne looked like she was trying to shake off a mild concussion.

Toriel rushed forward, and began hauling the rocks off the pile in a panic. Meanwhile, Sans glared at Undyne, his eyesockets now completely darkened. "What the hell is she doing?" Undyne slurred slightly.

"Saving the kid. And if you don't want to have a really bad time, Undyne, you'll either help, or shut up."

Undyne glared at the skeleton. "Or what, you lazy bones?" she sneered, somewhat unwisely in retrospect.

Sans sighed, before making a gesture with his fist. Hurled by an invisible force, Undyne slammed into the same wall Gohan had pushed her into less than a minute before. "This is the Mettaton News Report…" she slurred, her one eye spinning in its socket.

"WOWEE, UNDYNE! I NEVER KNEW YOU MOONLIGHTED AS METTATON(2)! CAN I HAVE YOUR AUTOGRAPH?!"

"Pap, she's concussed." With a few gestures, Sans began tearing more rocks from the pile with telekinesis, before Gohan was uncovered, unconscious. His hair was black again. Toriel took him from the pile of rubble, and used her healing magic.

"He's only a little concussed," she said, breathing a sigh of relief. "He must be a strong boy. That normally would have crushed someone else." After finishing tending to him, she went over to Undyne, and, with a slight grimace of annoyance, healed the fish-woman.

Undyne blinked at Toriel, before saying, "So, this is where you went off to."

"Yes. Now, Captain, you and I, along with Sans and Papyrus, and Gohan, are going to sit down and have a civilised discussion first. If you had let Gohan speak before trying to murder him, he would have said that there may be a way to get out of the Underground without killing humans."

Undyne glared at her, before she looked at Gohan, who was even now getting to his feet shakily, having regained consciousness. After a moment, she said, "Okay, I'll hear you out. For now."

"Oh look," Gohan said with a sardonic air belying his age. "We have yet another success story of the Son Goku Communication Method."

"What's that?" Sans asked.

"Beating the tar out of our foes until they either escape or change sides," Gohan said offhandedly. "Works more often than you'd think."

Undyne stared at him incredulously, before laughing. "I like you, punk! Your jokes are better than those this lazybones can think up!"

"Hey, I've got a ton of good jokes. A skele-ton," Sans protested. In the distance, there was a rimshot. Rather more closer was the groaning of Papyrus, the quiet growling of Undyne, and the chuckles of Toriel. Still, it was better than the fracas earlier. Maybe they had a chance after all...

 **CHAPTER 5 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **One of the problems with writing Undyne is that, unless you do a Pacifist Run, she's pretty unlikeable, and she only really shows her redeeming facets during your hangout with her. So it's very easy to write her as villainous. It was part of the reason I wrote something from her POV in the prior chapter. Undyne doesn't see herself as a villain, and to be fair to her, she isn't. She's just prejudiced against humans. It's also why I added a bit of Gohan's thoughts on the matter of Vegeta, Piccolo, and so on.**

 **1\. A running gag in** ** _Dragonball Z Abridged_** **starts in Episode 10 with Vegeta screaming that the Solar Flare is like walking in on Frieza in the shower…before he realises, much to his disgust, that Frieza, barring his armour, is always naked. From then on, each time a character uses the Solar Flare, a brief image is seen, usually of a half-naked person. Dodoria sees a face of Frieza photoshopped onto a muscular man in the shower, Frieza sees Dodoria's face photoshopped onto a plus-sized woman in nightwear (or Lanipator cosplaying as Frank-n-Furter in the equivalent Kai Abridged episode), and when Cell uses it for the first time, we have some hot cicada-on-cicada action. However, when Semi-Perfect Cell uses it, we have a very disturbing image of Cell wrapping up Android 18 with his tail, with a** ** _very_** **lascivious look on his face.**

 **2\. In the** ** _Undertale_** **AU webcomic** ** _Storyshift_** **, Undyne is swapped with Mettaton. This is my little nod to that.**


	7. Chapter 6: Concordance

**CHAPTER 6:**

 **CONCORDANCE**

Undyne sipped from her cup of Golden Flower Tea, and peered at Toriel. "So, let me get this straight. You say there's these Dragonball things that can grant any wish, and Gohan's friends are currently gathering them to try and break the Barrier? So, what's to stop the Supreme Kai from putting it back up, assuming the Dragonballs work?"

"What's to stop him from putting the Barrier back in place if you used the human souls?" Toriel pointed out. Undyne conceded the point with a small growl. She had aired her grievances with Toriel, who conceded some of the points, but pointed out Asgore's own faults in killing children, or ordering their deaths. The two had reached a détente of sorts.

"The power of the Dragonballs does have limits. But it depends on the power of the creator of them. It can resurrect an entire world of people, and if the Barrier required seven souls to unlock…" Gohan said.

Undyne whistled. "Sounds like you had experience with reviving a whole world."

"Once, we had to use them to revive the entire population of a world called Namek. It wasn't a hugely-populated planet, true, but there were hundreds there. And there were all the people we had to revive who were murdered by Cell, which was in the thousands at least," Gohan pointed out. "It used to be that people could only be revived by the Dragonballs once, but Dende, the current Kami, changed that. As long as the death was not due to natural causes, they can be revived."

"I HAVE A QUESTION, HUMAN! I MEAN, GOHAN! WHAT WAS THAT GOLDEN HAIR AND AURA THAT YOU HAD?" Papyrus asked.

Gohan smiled. "Well, I'm only half-human, and it's because of my other half than I am able to use that transformation. It's called a Super Saiyan."

"The hell's a Saiyan?" Undyne asked.

"A race of space pirates who fancied themselves a warrior people," Gohan said. "My father was sent to Earth as a baby, but thanks to a head injury, he didn't wipe out humanity. They look human, but have a tail like a monkey. The only pureblooded Saiyan left alive at the moment is Vegeta, who was the 'Prince of All Saiyans'. But there's three half-Saiyans including myself. There's my little brother Goten, and Vegeta's son, Trunks."

"Trunks?" Sans snorted. "What was his mother's name? Bikini?"

"Bulma, actually."

Again, Sans snorted. "Isn't that another word for bloomers?"

"Bulma may have a funny name, but she's a genius," Gohan said. "She was the one who developed the Dragon Radar to track down Dragonballs."

Undyne looked at Papyrus, before she said, "Okay, kid. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt for now. But I'm gonna be escorting your Saiyan ass all the way there, to make sure you don't pull anything funny. I'm the Captain of the Royal Guard. And if I let you go on and kill Asgore when I could've stopped you before, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. I certainly won't be able to forgive _you_. I'll turn you into a shish-kebab myself, even if you're under Queen Toriel's protection, you understand? Even that lazybones Sans wouldn't be able to stop my wrath."

"Perfectly," Gohan said. "Look, I can't exactly talk. My mentor was the reincarnation of Demon King Piccolo, though he's reformed. Vegeta killed entire planets. Amongst my father's best friends included a former bandit and a couple of trainee assassins. Forgiving Asgore for what he did will be easier. At least he was trying to help his people." He looked at Sans. "Can we use any of your shortcuts?"

"I use them too often, and with passengers, I run out of energy," Sans said with a shrug. "I could get us most of the way through Waterfall, but we'd have to walk most of the way to Hotland. We'd have to make sure we have water for Undyne."

"Why? Is Hotland really that hot?"

"Dreemurr was never one for creative names," Toriel said. "The heat will dehydrate Undyne pretty quickly, especially in her armour."

"I'LL GET A BARREL OF SNOW!" Papyrus declared. "SNOW WILL MELT INTO WATER IN THE HEAT OF HOTLAND, PROVIDING A LARGE SOURCE OF WATER! WE CAN THEN STAY IN DOCTOR ALPHYS' LAB UNTIL MY LAZY BROTHER IS ABLE TO TAKE US TO NEW HOME!" He then gasped dramatically, clapping his bony hands to his face. "MAYBE I CAN MEET METTATON!"

"Who?" Gohan asked.

"You really don't know anything about the Underground," Undyne snorted. "Mettaton's the latest star of our TV, and our biggest. He's a bit obnoxious in my opinion, but a lot of people like him. He's a robot Alphys made."

"Oh, great," Gohan muttered. "More Androids."

"Androids?" Sans asked.

"An old enemy of my father's, Dr Gero, tried to take revenge using Androids. They weren't all robots, a few were human once, and Cell, while he called himself an Android, was actually genetically engineered. But they were a major danger. Two of them are still alive now, though, and they're not our enemies anymore. I think 18 is dating Krillin, actually."

"18?"

"Yeah, Dr Gero named his Androids for numbers."

"Creative," Undyne snorted. "Makes Asgore's names look poetic by comparison."

"What about calling Asgore?" Gohan asked. "I noticed you two have phones."

"He never answers the phone," Undyne said. "And Papyrus doesn't have Asgore's number anyway. The King just sends text messages when he needs to send messages…or cute pictures. Actually, there's a thought. I'd better call Alphys, let her know I'll be there soon. Gimme a mo."

As she walked out, Sans asked, "Hey, Toriel, don't suppose you have any ketchup?"

"Sorry, Sans, I don't. I don't like sauces."

"Ah. Never mind, then."

"SANS, QUEEN TORIEL HAS BETTER THINGS TO DO THAN PROVIDE YOU WITH YOUR PICK-ME-UP. NOT THAT IT DOES YOU ANY GOOD AS A PICK-ME-UP, AS YOU DO LITTLE BUT BOONDOGGLE!" Papyrus protested.

"Don't you mean bonedoggle?" Toriel asked wryly, causing Sans to chuckle, and Papyrus to growl in annoyance.

After a while, Gohan said, "Thanks, you guys, for trusting me."

"IT'S NO PROBLEM! UNDYNE MAY BE SLOW TO TRUST YOU, BUT I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM ALWAYS WILLING TO MAKE NEW FRIENDS, EVEN WITH A HUMAN!"

Gohan resisted the urge to facepalm. For all Papyrus' ego, which reminded him a lot of Hercule, Papyrus seemed genuinely nicer than that blowhard. Then again, Hercule was probably a nice guy beneath his bluster anyway. He had the stones to fight Cell in the first place, even if he denounced ki blasts as tricks. He wanted to fight because he wanted to be a hero, because he wanted to save the world.

Undyne…reminded him a little of something between Goku, Vegeta, and his own mother. There was the Saiyan desire for combat, Goku's love of justice (although her ideal of justice was heavily skewed towards her own kind), Vegeta's arrogance, and his mother's general scariness. She was a pretty scary combatant, frankly. Still, Gohan reckoned that, if they ever did get out of the Underground, she'd make a brilliant sparring partner.

A few minutes later, Undyne walked back in. "Okay, I've just been on the phone with Alphys. She's promised to try and get a hold of Asgore. Unfortunately, the narcissistic tin man wants, and I quote, an 'exhibition match' with Gohan."

"Narcissistic tin man? You mean Mettaton?" Gohan asked.

"Yeah, Alphys was tinkering with his new body while we were talking, and he overheard the conversation. He decided, what better way to show it off than to fight against the vanquisher of Cell? And once Mettaton gets a notion into his head, it's hard to get it out," Undyne said with a shrug. "He's probably already running ads for it on our TV channels as we speak."

"Oh dear," Toriel said, looking ashen-faced. "Another fight?"

"Hey, I enjoyed that last one," Undyne said with a grin. "I know Gohan was holding back, but I hadn't had a workout like that since Asgore trained me. Hell, Gohan reminds me of him in many ways. Strong, but a real softy."

Toriel gained a rather pensive look on her face at that. Papyrus then stood. "WELL, IF THAT IS ALL, THEN I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, SHALL GO AND FETCH SOME SNOW TO HELP KEEP UNDYNE HYDRATED! GOHAN, I WOULD LIKE YOUR ASSISTANCE IN CARRYING THE BARREL!"

Gohan sighed. "Do we even have one?"

"I have a few empty barrels," Toriel said. "They'd be of an ideal size…"

* * *

Later, he and Papyrus were walking through the basement of Toriel's home. Papyrus had scurried ahead in his excitement, with Gohan left clutching the barrel. But as he rushed to keep up, he found himself in the antechamber to the exit…with a familiar-looking flower.

"Very clever," Flowey sneered. "You think you're really smart, don't you?"

"I don't _think_ …I _know_ ," Gohan said, channelling a little bit of Vegeta's arrogance as he did so.

"Ooh, tough words. So you spared a few people. I have to admit, I was wondering what you'd do when you encountered Undyne. But it was so boring how you tried to save her life. Oh, but you've killed before, haven't you? I can see it in your eyes…Chara."

Gohan felt his blood run cold. "What did you say?"

"Oh, give me some credit. I can be really sneaky when I want to. I overheard what you said to the old lady. You know, you were right in the end, Chara. It's kill or be killed." Then, a paroxysm of rage took over Flowey's features. "SO WHY ARE YOU NOT KILLING ANYONE DOWN HERE?"

"Shut up!" Gohan snarled. "The people down here, they're not monsters like the ones I had to kill. And I'm not Chara."

"Oh, but you are!" Flowey hissed. "I can smell it! So familiar…and yet, you're being so weak. You have the power to inherit this world, and yet, you're too weak to use it. Leave this place, let me embrace that power. I AM THE PRINCE OF THIS WORLD'S FUTURE!"

Chara's voice whispered in Gohan's mind, his tone tinged with horror. _Prince? No…it can't be_ …

"Don't worry, your Royal Highness," Flowey sneered. "My plan isn't regicide. This is **_so_** much more interesting."

"Really? I've met plenty of people like you, Flowey," Gohan said, thinking back to Frieza, his sadistic minions, and Cell. "And they all died."

Flowey merely sneered back, and said, "Is that a threat? We'll see about that." His face seemed to expand grotesquely, and emitted high-pitched, deranged laughter that echoed around the chamber eerily, before he shrunk back to normal…and dived underground.

Gohan was left glaring at the spot Flowey vacated, before he could hear Papyrus calling for him. Still, Flowey's words had disturbed him. And Chara's reaction was even more disturbing…

* * *

Sans was watching on from the shadows, keeping his ki suppressed. He had witnessed Gohan and Flowey's confrontation, and he noticed that Gohan didn't seem surprised at being called 'Chara' by Flowey. Then again, Toriel had already told Sans about Gohan's memories.

Still, how did the damned flower know who Chara was? Sans had encountered Flowey in previous timelines, and had always given the malevolent flower the patented Sans Bad Time Treatment. Flowey had killed monsters in the Underground, then manipulated them, and all sorts of things. He deserved it, and Sans was amused by Flowey dubbing him the Smiley Trashbag.

Flowey had let slip a few clues about his former identity, and Sans had a few hunches of his own. He had managed to get out of Alphys that she had injected one of Asgore's flowers with Determination…and he knew that particular patch was where Asriel Dreemurr had died, turning into dust. In fact, Flowey had called Gohan Chara. Had he been listening in? Or was there another connection?

A chill went down his spine, and he recoiled from the revelation. He wasn't around at the time when Chara and Asriel died, though his now literally non-existent father, WD Gaster, had been. Asriel was a kind child, by all accounts, but perhaps that was the point. Kindness was an integral part of all monster souls (which was odd, considering they were created by Babidi), and Flowey, while he had ki and Determination in abundance, had no soul.

Maybe that was something to ask Gohan later. If the Dragonballs could be used to break the Barrier, and they had two wishes, was it possible to bring back Asriel's soul? While Sans was angry at Flowey for what he had done in previous timelines, perhaps the malevolence there would be reversed if he had a soul again.

Of course, there was another matter entirely. Gohan seemed like a good kid, but there were two factors that had Sans understandably wary. The first was that Gohan was, according to Toriel, a reincarnation of Chara, and Chara was a strong misanthrope. True, he didn't show that in his character, and his actions in his fight with Undyne showed compassion even for enemies. But Sans was wary all the same, as something didn't add up about Chara's sudden illness and death.

The second was that Gohan had the highest Determination of anything in the Underground. While the other humans didn't use this power, it was possible that Gohan had access to the same abilities Flowey did. The ability to 'SAVE' a set point in time, the ability to 'LOAD' that point if he died, and the ability to 'RESET', rolling things back in time to a certain point. Sans was pretty sure that Gohan hadn't used it yet, and hopefully, he wouldn't have to.

The combination of those abilities with Chara gave Sans a bad feeling. He just hoped that he was right about Gohan. Because if he wasn't, then he wasn't going to like what he was going to have to do…

 **CHAPTER 6 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Ooh, ominous. Anyway, here you go. Gohan and Flowey's conversation happened earlier in the first draft of this story, before I got the idea of making the monsters into Babidi's creations. I wanted to have it at some point, sooner rather than later, so I put it here.**

 **No numbered annotations for this chapter.**


	8. Chapter 7: Alphys, the Supreme Kai, and

**CHAPTER 7:**

 **ALPHYS, THE SUPREME KAI, AND METTATON**

It was a somewhat surreal experience, ladling cold water from a barrel of melting snow onto the head of a fish-woman, Gohan reflected. Undyne had refused to remove her armour, but she did kneel next to him whenever she was feeling too dehydrated for him to ladle water onto her. Hotland was very well-named, and Gohan was glad when they approached the doors to the laboratory complex. Undyne clearly was too. The moment she was in, she muttered, "Praise the Angel for air conditioning."

"The Angel?" Gohan asked.

"It's part of our myth," Toriel said quietly. "The Delta Rune I wear symbolises it. According to prophecy, an Angel from above will come to the Underground, and will empty it of monsters. The Prophecy claims that the Angel will be either of Mercy, coming to free us from the Underground…or of Death, and free us from this mortal coil."

"That's…ominous," Gohan said. He then noticed a massive bank of TV screens, all showing their motley group. "Umm, guys, are we on reality TV?"

"No, that's Alphys being a voyeur," Sans remarked.

"N-NO I'M NOT!"

The high-pitched stuttering shriek came from a strange creature waddling up to them. It looked for all the world like a small yellow dinosaur in a lab coat, walking upright, with glasses, and a prominent overbite. Gohan felt that her ki, while not actually malevolent, had a certain furtiveness and fear to it. It was also a ki closer to a normal human being than most monsters, he realised.

"Hey, Alphy, you okay?" Undyne asked.

"Just b-been…working on M-Mettaton's new body," Alphys stammered, blushing slightly.

"OH, WOW! WE GET TO SEE A NEW BODY FOR METTATON?" Papyrus asked.

"Yes, b-b-but he's not ready yet!" Alphys said. "He needs to ch-ch-charge, first. I d-didn't think you'd be here so s-soon!" She waddled up to Gohan, and peered at him. "So, you're the one wh-wh-who fought Cell?"

"Yeah. I'm Gohan. You must be Doctor Alphys."

"J-J-Just call me Alphys," the lizard woman stammered.

"Believe it or not, he can turn blonde, Alphy. It's like those animes you showed me, with the transformations and stuff," Undyne said. "It ramps up his ki pretty high."

"I saw it on my c-c-cameras," Alphys said. "And my ki sensors picked up a lot of interesting d-d-data."

"You'd probably get along well with Bulma," Gohan said with a reassuring smile.

"Bulma Briefs, CEO and chief researcher of Capsule Corporation?" Alphys asked, looking starstruck. "We can only access TV and internet feeds as read-only, we can't send m-m-messages out. It took long enough to be able to b-b-browse the internet. I'd love to meet her! Her c-c-capsule technology would be a major boon for the Underground!"

"So there really is a Bulma," Sans snickered.

"Doctor Alphys," Toriel said, trying to get the conversation back on track. "Have you contacted Asgore?"

Alphys chewed on her lip pensively. "I d-d-did. I relayed what Undyne told me about the Dragonballs. While he's understandably a little sceptical, I think he's actually hoping that they are r-r-real, and that they can t-t-take down the Barrier. You must understand, Your M-M-Majesty, that what he did has taken something of a t-t-toll on him. This whole business has on many of us. He's actually b-b-blaming himself already for not realising another solution existed, other than harvesting the human s-s-souls."

"The Dragonballs are things of legend. Most people don't know they actually exist," Gohan pointed out.

"He asked whether they can be used to bring the six children back to life," Alphys asked.

Gohan frowned. "I'll have to ask Dende about that. I think there may be a limit to how long someone can be dead before they're brought back to life. If we're lucky, we might be able to use them to revive the children. The Dragonballs have two wishes at the moment, so we might be able to, and even if we have to use two wishes this time, they can be reused after a year has passed."

"That is good," Toriel declared.

" _Indeed it is._ "

The voice, coming from the TV screens nearby, took them all off-guard. Some of them leapt into the air, and then turned to face it. On the screens was the image of what looked like a short young man with lavender-coloured skin and a Mohawk of white hair. However, of those present, it was Toriel who recognised him, her eyes narrowing. "The Supreme Kai," she said, quietly, but with dangerous undertones.

" _Indeed, Queen Toriel. Forgive me for appearing like this, but it's perhaps the only way I can appear in the Underground without removing the Barrier_ ," the Supreme Kai said. " _As your technology uses magic as much as science, it allows me to speak with you, and I knew roughly where Gohan would be, so I tapped into the technology to find you._ "

"I'm not sure we have anything to say to you," Toriel said archly.

" _Even if it means my removing the Barrier?_ " As they stared in shock, the Supreme Kai continued, " _My judgement involving you was done in haste, I realise in retrospect. However, given how you were creations of Babidi, whose father was responsible for the deaths of friends and family, along with countless sentient beings, I felt I could not take that chance at the time._ "

"Yeah? Well, come down here and say that!" Undyne snapped. "You're very brave, hiding behind a TV screen!"

The Supreme Kai smiled bitterly. " _I was going to relay an offer. Piccolo told me about what had happened, and what your plans are, Son Gohan. If you do manage to persuade Asgore to call off his war against humanity, then I will remove the Barrier myself, contingent on one condition: that one wish on the Dragonballs be used to remove any means that Babidi could use to control the monsters._ "

"That vile sorcerer still lives?" Toriel demanded.

" _Indeed. Should Shenron be able to remove that, then you may use the wish to grant the souls new life, should it be possible._ "

The familiar voice of Dende could be heard in the background. " _It can be. If the souls are still present on the mortal plane, it's possible. And if the body is still alive but the soul has passed on, it's also possible._ "

"Why did I hear Dende?" Gohan asked.

" _I am currently residing at the Lookout until this issue is resolved_ ," the Supreme Kai said. " _According to Piccolo, your friends have managed to gather three of the Dragonballs so far. Once I have confirmation of Asgore calling off his war, I will have the Barrier taken down. As Piccolo seems to have the best means of contacting you, I would suggest letting him know. Once that is dealt with…then I believe that will be the best time for me to apologise for my actions._ "

"Very well," Toriel said, with a level, hard gaze.

"Hey, we can't trust him!" Undyne protested.

" _True, but even if the Dragonballs can remove the Barrier, I can put it back in place and banish you back into the Underground_ ," the Supreme Kai said solemnly. " _You have little choice in the matter but to trust me._ "

"Someone better pick up that phone, because I called it," Sans said with a shrug(1).

"Don't look so damned smug, bonehead," Undyne retorted.

"I can't help it, I have a face made for smug smiles," Sans said.

"SANS, PLEASE REFRAIN FROM ANTAGONISING UNDYNE, AND BEING RUDE IN FRONT OF THE SUPREME KAI!" Papyrus demanded.

The Supreme Kai chuckled softly. " _Believe me, I've dealt with far worse insolence than that of your people. Hopefully, we will meet in person, and under better circumstances. Goodbye_." And with that, his image faded from the bank of televisions.

"He seemed less smug than I thought," Sans said.

"He seemed scared when he banished us, and guilty," Toriel said. "Asgore and I, along with Gerson, are probably amongst the few monsters old enough to remember the war and how it ended. That still live, anyway."

"Meh, I'm gonna challenge him to a fight anyway, once we get out," Undyne said, putting a gauntlet-clad fist into the palm of her other hand. "Even if he keeps his word, I wanna see how strong this Supreme Kai really is. Hey, speaking of, Alphy, do you reckon Mettaton would feel up to a one on one against me once he's done fighting Gohan?"

"Probably," Alphys said. "He'll probably be finished ch-ch-charging by now."

As if on cue, a nearby door opened, and a strange, blocky shape made its way through. It looked like a calculator screen on a wheel, and with a pair of arms with white-gloved hands. "Well, hello there, darlings!" the newcomer spoke in a camp, flanging, electronic-sounding voice. "My, my, we have quite the audience here!"

Papyrus was starstruck, clapping his hands to his cheeks…well, cheekbones, which had inexplicably gained a blush. "OH MY ANGEL, IT IS METTATON!"

"Yes, that's my name, please don't wear it out, or I'll make you buy me a new one."

Undyne rolled her eyes, as did Sans. Toriel looked bemused. Gohan, meanwhile, was trying to see if he could sense Mettaton's energy. To his surprise, he could sense ki coming from the robot. What was more, it seemed vaguely familiar. If he didn't know any better, it seemed a little like that ghost, Napstablook. But there was something odd. The ki seemed weak, but he could tell a lot was being held back.

Suddenly, Mettaton was close to Gohan, having wheeled up and shoved a microphone into his face. "Now, Doctor Alphys here told me you accepted my offer of an exhibition match. Of course, the Underground will want to hear all about you, so we need to do a pre-match interview! After all, you are an unknown to the Underground."

Gohan stared at Mettaton, his eyes wide with a deer in the headlights look. This was one of the reasons why they let Hercule take the credit for defeating Cell! He was SO not ready for media attention…

* * *

As Gohan made his hesitating way through his interview with Mettaton, Toriel took Alphys aside. "He won't hurt Gohan, will he?" Toriel asked.

"No. Unless you c-c-count the exhibition match, but that's n-n-normal for martial arts fights, I guess, even when they are j-j-just for show."

"I hope so, for his sake. Alphys, is he an actual robot? I can feel ki within him. And it feels a little like Napstablook."

Alphys' eyes widened, before she said, "You n-n-noticed it?"

"I'm sure Gohan has too."

"Umm, well, he was N-N-Napstablook's cousin, Hapstablook," Alphys admitted. "He w-w-wanted a body, p-p-preferably one with a human form. I had worked on his human form for a w-w-while."

"I think I remember them. The Blooks ran a snail farm I used to be a customer of," Toriel mused. "Mettaton does act familiar, like Hapstablook used to. A bit of an attention-seeker, but caring towards his cousin."

"I don't th-th-think they've spoken for a while," Alphys said.

"A shame. By the way, Alphys, besides creating Mettaton, what else have you done for Asgore?"

Alphys bit her lips pensively. "A lot of things."

Toriel could feel the guilt rolling off Alphys in waves. "Like what?" she asked pointedly.

Alphys flinched, before saying, "Let's w-w-wait until after this, p-p-please?"

* * *

"…That's a wrap! Thank you, Son Gohan! We will be back after the break, with the fight of the decade: Son Gohan, the Super Saiyan, versus Mettaton, the Idol of the Underground! Don't touch that dial! We'll be right back, darlings!" After a moment, Mettaton put the microphone away. "Thank you so much, Son Gohan! Ah, this is going to be a great match!"

"…Okay?"

"Ah, overwhelmed by my charisma," Mettaton said. "Such a common malady!"

"Sometimes, there ain't enough vomit in the world," Undyne muttered softly(2).

"Now, now, less commentary from the peanut gallery, Undyne," Mettaton said. "You got to fight Gohan, according to Alphys."

"Yeah, and I wanna rematch sooner or later. If we get out of the Underground, I'm gonna go all out. Best fight I've had for ages."

Gohan looked at the grinning fish-woman. "Are you sure you don't have any Saiyan blood in you?"

"Wish I did, then I could do that Super Saiyan thing as well," Undyne said. "Anyway, when are you gonna have your exhibition match thing? I mean, we've gotta kill time and all until they gather the Dragonballs, but even so, I don't like standin' around."

"Impatient as always, my dear Undyne. My people are preparing a suitable arena as we speak. Anyway, I believe I have a fan waiting impatiently for an autograph." Mettaton trundled over to Papyrus, who was starstruck.

"…That was weird," Gohan muttered.

"Trust me, you haven't seen his new body yet," Undyne said. "Alphy's been working on it for a while. He'll probably use it to fight you."

"Why does he want to fight me, anyway?"

"I told you earlier, he wants to show off by fighting you. I mean, you are the vanquisher of Cell, even if that Hercule guy took the credit. He's a glory hog, but don't underestimate him. Alphys probably made him pretty damned strong."

Gohan nodded as he took Undyne's advice, watching as Mettaton signed a photo for the enraptured Papyrus. Hopefully, fighting Mettaton would help buy time until the others got the Dragonballs…

* * *

About half an hour later, Mettaton led Gohan down to an arena that looked very like a dance floor. Hell, it even had a disco ball. "Welcome, one and all, to this once-in-a-lifetime battle!" Mettaton yelled to a number of cameras around them. "I will be pitting myself against Son Gohan, the true vanquisher of Cell! As you saw, Gohan is a boy of few words. I'm afraid he's somewhat shy. So, it's time to show why actions speak louder than words! It is time, my beloved audience, for the premiere of my new EX body!"

Then, suddenly, Mettaton disappeared into a cloud of smoke, while spotlights jabbed into it. A rock guitar played a rather ominous riff. "Ohhhh yesss…" Mettaton purred from within the smoke. Gohan caught a glimpse of a shifting form within the smoke, before it settled into something humanoid. "You see, my fanbase have been most impatient for the premiere of my EX body," Mettaton continued. "So, Son Gohan…"

And then, Mettaton strode out from the smoke. And Gohan was struck dumb. Where there was once a boxy robot was something more human-like. Very human-like. Slender and effeminate, the body a mixture of black and purple, the legs long and clad in boots that had heels. The face, while metallic, was androgynous and beautiful, a quiff of hair. And as he made a pose, Gohan realised that it was as if someone had turned Zarbon into a robot…and gave him the mannerisms of the Ginyu Force.

"...Let's make this fight absolutely beautiful!" Mettaton EX crowed.

 **CHAPTER 7 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, they have a plan, and Gohan's about to fight Mettaton. Still, the best laid plans often cock up.**

 **Review-answering time!** **Sabere Commander** **: I never nerfed Gohan. I buffed the monsters. The reason why they don't destroy anything is because they don't want the roof falling in on them, as the Barrier will contain anything up to the Supreme Kai's power. Monster attacks target the soul directly, so higher ki does bugger all. It's like Babidi being able to control other beings who are much stronger than him. If you don't want to read this anymore, fine.**

 **1\. A reference to Cooler's line from** ** _Revenge of Cooler Abridged_** **.**

 **2\. In the** ** _QI_** **episode** ** _Everything, Etc_** **, this is Stephen Fry's response to Clive Anderson's buzzer playing** ** _(Everything I Do) I Do It For You_** **by Bryan Adams.**


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